


In Order To See Him Better

by Lafaiette



Series: Ad Astra [7]
Category: Vampire Hunter D (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Charlotte with glasses, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Married Sex, Meier's heart goes all doki doki, True Love, a teeny lil bit of angst but, it's more like insecurity that quickly gets resolved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 13:48:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19769485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lafaiette/pseuds/Lafaiette
Summary: Charlotte knew that her body would start giving her some problems, sooner or later. She was human and human bodies aged – she and Meier had known hers would do so, too, since from the start. So, she didn’t panic when her sight got a little worse.





	In Order To See Him Better

Charlotte knew that her body would start giving her some problems, sooner or later. She was human and human bodies aged – she and Meier had known hers would do so, too, since from the start.

At first, when she was younger and they didn’t know better, they had thought of turning her into a Noble, to ensure they would be together forever. But then they had matured and realized how dangerous that could be and how much better spending their lives together without fearing the effects of immortality was.

So, she didn’t panic when her sight got a little worse. She knew that was one of the first things that would change with the passing of years. She only hoped the three robot doctors in the City would be able to help her with a pair of glasses.

And she also hoped Meier would still think her beautiful. She knew he would – she would never believe him so shallow -, she knew he would love her no matter what, but a small part of her still feared not to be enough, not to be as those Noble women she had seen in some books and videos.

Nonsense, she told herself again as she headed towards the doctors’ office, accompanied by her robot friends. Meier loved her and she would be sure to choose a nice pair of glasses to make him happy. The robot handmaidens told her so, too, and they helped her calm down.

The doctors were glad to help her, even though they lamented the fact that the surgeons who would have been able to directly heal her eyes had long been destroyed. She didn’t mind, she said! She liked glasses and she hoped she would look nice with a pair on. She remembered how much she had liked the pair her father used to wear, the first time she had seen him wear it.

The kind doctors asked her more about her condition. She said she had started squinting while reading and that her head hurt sometimes. It wasn’t so bad that she walked into things or dropped them, but she knew it would only get worse if she didn’t do something about it soon.

One of the craftsman robots in the City was able to make beautiful frames for eyeglasses, the doctors told her. They would work on the lenses, while she could commission from the craftsman whatever frame she most preferred. They would cut the lenses to fit the shape she had chosen later.

She did all that in one night, wanting it to be a surprise for Meier. Their daughter, Esther, was spending some time in their winter castle, studying some ruins she had found there; Meier was busy with his own study of the stars and Charlotte had told him she had some things to do with her robot friends, the funny and dear handmaidens who liked to tell beautiful tales of centuries past and gossip about the old inhabitants of the City.

When she returned to the castle, with the promise from the doctors and the craftsman that her glasses would be ready in a few nights, she did so with a huge smile and great excitement bubbling in her chest.

She had been careful not to show to Meier her difficulty in reading, in case the doctors wouldn’t have been able to help. She didn’t want Meier to worry, but he had noticed that something had been bothering her all the same. When he saw her enter their study with that large smile, he smiled back, relieved, and went to her and kissed her deeply.

“Here you are, you rose fairy! Did you enjoy your walk?” He kissed her nose. “How is the weather?”

“I did. The weather is fine, you can see the stars so well tonight!” She rose on her tiptoes to kiss his nose in return, then his lips again, her cheeks flushed pink. “I had a wonderful time with the girls in the City! What about you? Did you discover something new?” She looked behind him, at the desk he used for his work. It was covered in sheets of paper and maps of the sky and it was clear he had been studying them for many hours, like he was used to doing. “Oh, you silly, always working so hard!” She touched his slightly chapped lips and saw how much paler than usual his face was. “Meier, you forgot to drink blood again!”

“I call you ‘sweet’, while you call me ‘silly’!” He pouted, but he eagerly followed her to a corner of the study where two pitchers and some glasses were placed on a small table. She giggled, holding his hand and leading him forward. She could still see well in the distance and the pitcher of blood and the glass were big and clear enough for her to pour him some blood without accidents.

“There, _sweet_ husband, my silly Meier.” She handed him the glass and he harrumphed, but his eyes were crinkling with joy and his mouth twitching. “You would starve yourself without me!”

He drank the blood quickly, in two long sips, and stood still when she cleaned his mouth with her handkerchief. He pretended to bite her fingers and she giggled, not pulling them away, but pressing them against his lips so that he could kiss them.

“I’m sorry I’m not on my period today.” she said softly, giving him a coy, playful look. “Otherwise you could have drunk _that_ blood.”

“ _Charlotte!_ ”

“I love it when you drink it from me!” She stuck out her tongue at him, enjoying the way he blushed and looked at her with that boyish smile of his that also showed a bit of surprise. He still gasped and got shyer whenever they talked about drinking her menses and she liked harmlessly teasing him like that.

“And I love to drink it from you as well, but artificial blood is more than fine.” He lightly pulled one of her braids and smiled. “Thank you. I’m all good, now.”

She threw her arms around his neck, kissing his mouth and tasting the blood. He tried to protest, saying she shouldn’t do that, but she just kissed him more and in the end he relented. He couldn’t deny her anything and she led him to the sofa she had put there in the study specially for those occasions, when they would rest from their studying and reading to cuddle and kiss.

They had been together for more than twenty years, now, and their love for each other had only grown stronger. They still played and joked with each other, always talked and discussed things together. They didn’t always spend time together – sometimes Meier read in the study while Charlotte took care of her chemistry experiments and her plants. But when they would reunite a few hours later, they would find that brief solitude had strengthened their bond even further and they would resume the kissing and jokes they had started earlier before.

They cleared the sofa of the papers and pens and other stuff Meier had placed there when he had realized there wasn’t more space left on the table. Charlotte, impatient, was the first to drop down on the sofa and was about to drag him down into her arms when something sharp pierced her hand.

“Ouch!” She looked down and saw a small knife they had failed to notice, one of those short blades used to cleanly cut paper, similar to a letter opener. She had accidentally pierced her index finger with its tip and a droplet of blood ran down her finger.

“Charlotte! Are you alright?! I’m so sorry!”

Meier tossed the short blade on the ground and inspected her hand with panic etched on his face, his hands hovering a few inches from her wounded finger. The sight and smell of blood made his fangs grow longer, but he was able to keep his bloodthirst at bay. Charlotte wasn’t scared, anyway, and before he could rise and call for the robots to bring disinfectant and a gauze, she pressed the finger on his mouth.

He gasped sharply and his crimson eyes turned a deeper shade of red. She smiled at him and managed to pull him on top of her. The blood trickled down her hand, reaching her wrist, and she murmured: “Please?”

He slowly licked the blood, their eyes locked together. His were burning rubies, while Charlotte’s were almost as golden as the gilded carvings on the table and the embroideries on their clothes.

“Forgive your clumsy and messy husband.” Meier murmured, his fangs now so long they nearly peeked out of his mouth even when it was closed. He licked the space between her fingers where more blood had run down and he kissed the small wound on her fingertip, gently sucking on it until no more blood came out.

“You didn’t hurt yourself on purpose to let me drink your blood, did you?” he asked, eyeing her with suspicion. Charlotte laughed, shaking her head, and kissed his face. She was glad she could still see it well. Meier was now so close, his face pressed on her neck and her lips pressed on his hair, that she could perfectly see the strong lines of his jaw, his pointy ears, the short hairs on his nape, the lines on his lips, and the kind, loving light in his scarlet eyes as they kissed and cuddled.

When he slightly pulled back, to ask her if she wanted to proceed, she nodded and pushed him back into her arms, eliciting a laugh from him. He slipped a hand under her skirts while kissing her neck and her finger and she kissed his face and touched his fangs, her core burning with the need for him.

He adjusted their positions on the sofa and was about to sit on his knees to better enter her, but she made a low, tiny sound and tugged at his blouse until he was in her arms again.

“Like this.” she said. She needed him to be close in order to see him better, to see all his expressions and all the beautiful changes in his eyes, to see the twist of his mouth when he smiled at her, when he came, when he relaxed against her, to see his cheeks turn a darker shade, to see his long eyelashes and count again his small laugh-lines.

“Don’t I weigh too much?” he asked, always worried about her wellbeing. She reassured him with a kiss and never let him go, forcing her eyes open even when the pleasure became so powerful every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire.

She came while cradling his face in her hands, their noses touching, and he followed her a few seconds later, trembling and shaking, his brow furrowed, his fangs longer and sharper than ever, still red with a little bit of her blood from before.

Anxiety came back, as strong as a hammer, and it hit her like it had done when she had realized she now needed glasses to see. What if her eyesight got worse and she turned blind, unable to see Meier and Esther anymore, their smiles forever hidden from her? What if she needed thicker lenses which would make her look funny, reminding Meier how frail her human body was, how more it would deteriorate?

“Charlotte!” he gasped, seeing the tears run down her cheeks. “Did I hurt you?!”

He tried to pull away, but she kept him in her arms and smiled at him, stroking his cheekbones and brow with her thumbs.

“No, Meier, my love.” She kissed him. “You are beautiful.”

He studied her face, at loss for words. It wasn’t unusual for them so say those things to each other, but he could see how different it was this time. There was a strange light on her face, a sort of fear mixed with resignation, and it scared him to the marrow.

“My Charlotte, what is it?” he asked softly, moving them so they could rest more comfortably on the sofa. “You have been acting strange these last few days.” He kissed her hand, the one with the wounded finger, and the smell of blood that still lingered on it didn’t allow his fangs to get back to normal. But she loved them and she touched them, a so gentle touch that made his eyes prickle with tears as well.

“It’s nothing. I’m just being a silly woman.” She hastily rubbed her eyes to dry them and smiled at him again.

“Do you… Do you miss Earth?”

Sometimes he feared that, he feared she would grow tired of the City and yearn for sunlight and other people’s voices. But she loved the City more than she loved any other place in the universe and she hadn’t been thinking of their old planet and city for many years.

She smacked his arm, tutting, and told him so. He was relieved, but then worried again.

“Then what is it?”

“I was just overwhelmed by emotion.” It wasn’t a lie. She had felt anxiety caused by her new condition, but also the burst of joy and contentment that always filled her every time she and Meier made love. It had all caught her off guard and her tears had come out freely.

“I will tell you soon.” she promised, kissing the tip of his nose, and he caressed her hair, quiet for a while, before replying: “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

“But I do want to!” She tangled her legs with his, their clothes a ruffled mess, her gown and his blouse wrinkled and a bit sticky. “You just need to wait for a few days. I promise it’s nothing bad!” she hurried to say, seeing the worry resurface in his eyes. “It’s a good thing. I… I hope. I’m just being a child about it.” She blushed and snuggled closer to him, his skin feeling deliciously cold against her warm body.

He hummed, his brow furrowed in concentration. His fangs had got back to normal, slowly but steadily, and the long fingers of her unwounded hand poked and tickled his mouth until he snorted and pretended to bite one. She giggled and pressed a loud kiss on his lips.

“Alright, alright, you win as always!” Meier laughed, getting up and taking her into his arms. “I will wait for you to tell me. But I demand permission to insist a little in case you cry again – you can’t expect me to act as a stone!” He smiled smugly at her while she pretended to think about it. “Permission granted, my lady? My queen? My ruler? My empress, my goddess?”

Charlotte snorted and swatted his chest, grinning.

“Permission granted, you _silly_.”

“Ah! Mocked once again!”

They went to take a bath before bed, laughing and joking all the way there. Later, as they lied in bed in each other’s arms, Charlotte’s fears and insecurities gradually went away and she was able to fall asleep serenely, once again looking forward to the day when she would surprise Meier with a pair of glasses on her nose.

\- - -

  
  
But when the doctors discreetly let her know that they were ready, she felt dread run up her spine again. What if they looked bad on her? What if Meier thought she looked ugly? She knew he was above that, that he would always love her no matter what – she was doing him a great disservice even by just thinking that he would stop loving her -, but she couldn’t help but panic.

She went to the doctors with stiff, short strides, as if she had a fist clenched in her stomach. When they showed her the completed work, she was relieved to see that she still liked the frame she had chosen and that the lenses were thin and perfectly cut. When she put them on and looked at herself in a mirror, she felt a bit of her old confidence come back.

The doctors asked her to read some small text to make sure the measurements had been taken correctly; after being satisfied with the results, they told her they could make all the lenses and frames she desired. They repeated their compliments to her, increasing her confidence, and her strides as she went back home were larger and faster than before. The glasses were safe in their case, in her purse. She needed them only to read, after all – she would surprise Meier later that night.

After speaking with Esther through the communicator, they retired to their bedroom. Meier looked at her with a curious gaze, she noticed, as if he was expecting her to do something. When her nerves failed her and she decided to wait a few more moments before taking out her glasses and start reading, he said:

“Charlotte, love. Is everything alright?”

She turned to him, surprised. There was a book in his hands, like almost every night; during those few nights, she had asked him to read to her or she had gone straight to sleep, without writing down on her botanical journal or reading her novels and chemistry books. He told her this, his eyes sad and worried.

“I noticed it, but I didn’t think it was anything serious. But after the conversation we had the other night… is this related to that thing you want to tell me in due time?” He blushed and started stammering, realizing what he had said. “I… I don’t want you to tell me now, if that makes you uncomfortable! I just…” He sighed and took her hand, squeezing it. “I know you well, Charlotte. I know something is bothering you and I can’t stop myself from worrying.”

A big smile curled her lips. She still felt insecure and a bit self-conscious, but Meier’s eyes were so loving and tender, his touch and gaze so sincere, they helped her realize she had been a fool. She had made so much noise for nothing and had even caused him to worry so much.

“Close your eyes.” When he gave her a puzzled look, she kissed his nose. “Close your eyes, silly husband.”

He obliged and she took the case she had hidden in the drawer of her night-table. She put her glasses on, retrieved her botanical journal, then said after a deep breath: “You can open them, now.”

She set her eyes on the page, without really seeing the words and pictures on it. She heard Meier gasp and a deep blush burned her cheeks. She felt him move beside her until he was in her line of vision, meeting her eyes. There was an ecstatic look on his face and his smile was so bright she smiled back, two dimples on her red cheeks.

“Charlotte!” he exclaimed, cradling her face with his fingertips, as if he was afraid of hurting her and ruining her glasses. “Is this what was bothering you? You look _magnificent_!”

She smiled and looked down at the journal now on her lap, while Meier let out exclamations of love, admiration, and curiosity. He was beyond happy and he asked for her permission to touch the frame and hold the glasses for a moment. When he put them back on her face, his smile, already big before, turned so wide Charlotte giggled seeing it.

“You look so cute and beautiful! Why were you ashamed of this?! Oh, Charlotte, I could stare at you for hours!”

And so he did. He watched her for the whole time while she tried to write on her journal. She laughingly told him to stop, but he wouldn’t hear it. He even drew sketches of her; at first, she tried to stop him, too shy and embarrassed, but when he begged her and peppered her face with kisses, she relented and stayed still until he was finished.

“Let’s take some pictures tomorrow!” he said, excited as a child, and she accepted to do that, because she loved to have more pictures of her family around.

“I can’t wait for Esther to see you. She will be as enchanted as I am.” He then took her hand and kissed it, looking at her with a worried look much similar to the one he had before. “Charlotte, why didn’t you want to show me this?”

“I was afraid of looking ugly or strange.” She pushed the journal away and nested herself against his body, snuggling him. He gasped and opened his mouth to say how silly that was, but she continued: “I felt… a bit scared. I kept comparing myself to Noble women.”

“Charlotte! We already talked about this!”

He took her face in his broad hands and touched her nose with his.

“Charlotte, my beloved Charlotte. Never compare yourself to them. You are gorgeous and every change in you is a blessing, a gift I do not deserve.” He kissed her face again, making her laugh. “How could you look ugly? You are my star, my moon, the sun that doesn’t burn me.”

She smiled at him, happy and relieved, and he laughed softly, bumping their foreheads together.

“Now, will you tell me more about these glasses? You should order more of them, by the way! Would that be possible? Are there different styles? How did you choose the frame?”

He held her as she told him more about that important human accessory that had never gone out of fashion in the Frontier, not even in the difficult times of the Noble rule. Meier complimented the humans’ ingenuity and creativity and the awe and admiration he had always felt for them increased as he thought of their art of crafting and their way of always finding solutions for difficult problems.

When she put the glasses on _his_ face, she had to stifle a laugh.

“Oh, Meier!” And then she snorted and started giggling.

“What? What?” He was grinning from ear to ear. “Do I look good? Dashing? Please, take a picture of me, I want to see!”

“You look funny! And cute!” She adjusted the frame on the bridge of his nose and clapped her hands. “You look even more like a scholar! So elegant and intellectual!”

She took pictures and they could see them immediately thanks to a Noble machine that printed them on the spot. They laughed together and Charlotte almost convinced him to get a pair just for fashion and fun, but he said she deserved all the attention. When he gave her back the glasses, he sighed dreamily and began to stare at her again.

“I really look good, then?” she asked with a timid smile and he nodded fast, enthusiastically, holding her hands.

“Yes, absolutely! You always do, but these really make you look like the rose fairy you are, Charlotte.”

She blushed, flattered, and her smile broadened as she cuddled in his arms again.

“Then I will wear them every time I need to read, even the shortest text or passage. And I will order some more models, too.”

Meier’s reaction was a loud kiss and an equally bright smile.

**Author's Note:**

> One year later and they are still my biggest OTP, EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM IS PERFECT


End file.
